How to Treat Stinging Nettles

Stinging nettle is a herbaceous plant that produces a poison to protect itself. When you accidentally brush up against this spiky-leaved plant, the tiny hairs on the underside of the leaves and the plant's stem break off and lodge into your skin where they release formic acid, a histamine that causes a painful allergic reaction. Formic acid is a powerful irritant that causes your skin to swell or become inflamed, turn red, form white bumps and severely burn and itch. Thankfully, there are natural ways to treat the irritation.

Things You'll Need

• Masking tape
• Baking soda
• Calamine lotion or aloe vera gel

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Instructions

• 1

  Look to see if you have any small spiny hairs lodged in your skin or if you can feel them in the affected area. Place masking tape over the red or swollen skin, press the tape down and then swiftly pull it off to remove the hairs. This will stop the hairs of the stinging nettle from irritating your skin any more than it already has.

• 2

  Make a paste out of 2 tbsp. baking soda and 2 tsp. water. Rub the paste on your skin where you came into contact with the stinging nettle. Leave the paste on the rash for 30 minutes. Wash off the paste with warm soapy water. Dab your skin dry.

• 3

  Apply a generous amount of calamine lotion or aloe vera gel onto the irritated area to soothe it.